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fateleanor's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
3.5
A compelling read with a confusing mix of darkness and ‘cutesy’. Almost felt like a few short stories entwined into one story.
andrew61's review against another edition
4.0
This is the story of Julia, a 48 year old child psychologist whose life is dominated by an incident in her early childhood. The book starts as she is asked to be bridesmaid at her cousin Iris's wedding later she receives a magazine photo in which she is described as the unknown bridesmaid. As an adult we see her going through various case studies with troubled adolescents and these are analogous to her own childhood and teenage years. An early event dominates her life and the story is ultimately quite sad but engaging, there was certainly a feeling of impending danger in the early parts. The only part that was unbelievable was the ease with which Julia resolves the adolescents problems but a really good book and I'm surprised I haven't tried her books before.
rhonaea's review
3.0
Nicely written and well edited - a very strange and disturbing portrayal of the deeply flawed Julia. I guess a lot of people might have reflected on the dislocation between the resentful and mean child and the outwardly successful psychologist adult; whether this was credible or likely. Perhaps, not. Anyway, I think the messages in the novel are interesting for all of us. Are we all doomed to be the products of our childhoods or does self-determination ever have a satisfactory redemptive outcome? In frank terms the child Julia was a mean-spirited little bitch, but the older Julia, whilst motivated by her 'poor me, I had a miserable childhood' to help others, continued to hold a grudge. It certainly motivates me to seek out further Margaret Forster.
rhonaea's review against another edition
3.0
Nicely written and well edited - a very strange and disturbing portrayal of the deeply flawed Julia. I guess a lot of people might have reflected on the dislocation between the resentful and mean child and the outwardly successful psychologist adult; whether this was credible or likely. Perhaps, not. Anyway, I think the messages in the novel are interesting for all of us. Are we all doomed to be the products of our childhoods or does self-determination ever have a satisfactory redemptive outcome? In frank terms the child Julia was a mean-spirited little bitch, but the older Julia, whilst motivated by her 'poor me, I had a miserable childhood' to help others, continued to hold a grudge. It certainly motivates me to seek out further Margaret Forster.
booktwitcher23's review against another edition
4.0
Well I actually started this yesterday evening and finished it in 3 sittings. I was so taken up with the story and all the case studies, I got hooked!
sparrow843's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. Nothing else in my head at the moment. Nothing needs to be added to this book. Just WOW.
sparrow843's review
5.0
Wow. Nothing else in my head at the moment. Nothing needs to be added to this book. Just WOW.
balancinghistorybooks's review against another edition
3.0
The Unknown Bridesmaid is the newest novel from prolific author Margaret Forster. Its premise is intriguing and rather mysterious: ‘Julia was the only person who knew what happened that day. But she didn’t tell the police. And then it was too late. Now, years later, her secret looms large. Is it really too late? And if she does tell, can she bear the consequences?’
The novel begins in the present day, in which Julia works as a child psychologist, and goes back in time to her own childhood. In the first pivotal event, she is asked to be a bridesmaid for her cousin Iris, who is marrying a man named Reginald in Manchester. Soon afterwards, Reginald is killed in what is thought to be an IRA attack. Despite her grief, Iris soon gets back on track, finding that she is pregnant with his son, who is known from his birth as Reggie. Throughout, Julia’s own story is far more interesting than those fragments which we learn about the girls whom she counsels. Her family dynamic is interestingly portrayed, and the psychological aspect of the book has been well done too. The novel certainly gains power as it goes on.
Forster writes well throughout, and her prose is successful at building up tension as the novel builds. The Unknown Bridesmaid does feel like rather a quick read, but this may be solely due to the rather large font within the paperback edition of the book, and its uncomplicated writing. It is more focused upon its characters than its settings and scenes, so there is little beauty but much intrigue created. Forster captures both the childish naivety and wisdom of her young characters – and there are many of them – well. It is interesting to see everything from the perspective of a girl who is still firmly rooted within her childhood, and it allows the reader to piece together the incidents which we believe may have occurred to lead Julia and her family to certain points in their lives.
The third person perspective has been used to good effect in recounting Julia’s story, but it does have a tendency to detach the reader from the story, and renders us more as a casual observer than a confidante who is intrinsically linked to Julia, or to Forster’s other characters. Julia is not a likeable protagonist, but there is something rather compelling and horribly believable about her. Through her, Forster demonstrates quite clearly how one single moment can impact upon one’s life forever. Whilst the majority of the plot is satisfying enough, the ending feels both flat and rushed, which is a real shame. Still, as far as psychological novels go, The Unknown Bridesmaid certainly deserves to be read by a wide audience.
The novel begins in the present day, in which Julia works as a child psychologist, and goes back in time to her own childhood. In the first pivotal event, she is asked to be a bridesmaid for her cousin Iris, who is marrying a man named Reginald in Manchester. Soon afterwards, Reginald is killed in what is thought to be an IRA attack. Despite her grief, Iris soon gets back on track, finding that she is pregnant with his son, who is known from his birth as Reggie. Throughout, Julia’s own story is far more interesting than those fragments which we learn about the girls whom she counsels. Her family dynamic is interestingly portrayed, and the psychological aspect of the book has been well done too. The novel certainly gains power as it goes on.
Forster writes well throughout, and her prose is successful at building up tension as the novel builds. The Unknown Bridesmaid does feel like rather a quick read, but this may be solely due to the rather large font within the paperback edition of the book, and its uncomplicated writing. It is more focused upon its characters than its settings and scenes, so there is little beauty but much intrigue created. Forster captures both the childish naivety and wisdom of her young characters – and there are many of them – well. It is interesting to see everything from the perspective of a girl who is still firmly rooted within her childhood, and it allows the reader to piece together the incidents which we believe may have occurred to lead Julia and her family to certain points in their lives.
The third person perspective has been used to good effect in recounting Julia’s story, but it does have a tendency to detach the reader from the story, and renders us more as a casual observer than a confidante who is intrinsically linked to Julia, or to Forster’s other characters. Julia is not a likeable protagonist, but there is something rather compelling and horribly believable about her. Through her, Forster demonstrates quite clearly how one single moment can impact upon one’s life forever. Whilst the majority of the plot is satisfying enough, the ending feels both flat and rushed, which is a real shame. Still, as far as psychological novels go, The Unknown Bridesmaid certainly deserves to be read by a wide audience.